Unilateral thalamic infarction onset with lethargy: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Infarct-induced lethargy is a common disabling symptom that lacks a consensual definition and a standardized method of care. Identifying the causes of the infarct in the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) induced lethargy is crucial in stroke patients. Case presentation: A 68-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with lethargy and weakness in the right limb. A computed tomography (CT) scan performed at the presentation showed no bleeding. She was given intravenous thrombolysis. A head computed tomography (CT) scan clearly showed that the infarct was located in the TRN. After 1 hour of treatment, the weakness in the patient's limb was relieved. However, she was still lethargic, but her lethargy symptoms improved after 3 days. Discussion and conclusions: Our case highlights that despite the small size of the infarct, the patient was unconscious, which makes it difficult for physicians to understand and treat the condition, resulting in trouble managing the case. We performed a literature review and proposed that the infarction located in the TRN causes lethargy. However, further clinical and pathophysiological research is still needed to improve patient care.